Riggleman encourages Nats in team meeting  —  WASHINGTON — An hour before his team played the Phillies on Tuesday night, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman held a meeting with the players to tell them to forget about the first third of the season and stay positive.

As Mets' Image Slumps, So Does Attendance  —  Saturday night seemed like a perfect one for a baseball game: 70 degrees and breezy, with the workweek, because of the Memorial Day holiday, still more than 60 hours away.  The National League's best team and the Mets' longtime rivals, the Phillies, were in town at Citi Field.

Astros rally for six runs off Cubs' closer for comeback win  —  CHICAGO — Cubs closer Carlos Marmol blew his third save of the season, allowing six runs in the ninth inning as the Houston Astros beat Chicago 7-3 on Tuesday night.  —  Matt Downs' pinch-hit, two-run double tied …

Dodgers beat Rockies 8-2 for 3rd straight win  —  LOS ANGELES — Three games, three wins and 23 runs from a Dodgers' offense that is finally catching up to the performance of the pitching staff.  —  Matt Kemp homered and drove in four runs, Casey Blake added a three-run shot and Los Angeles beat …

Contact Us  —  Registration … Some sporting thoughts before sunrise ...  > If you don't believe in clutch, you will forever under-value Neil Walker.  —  I tweeted exactly that statement late last night, right after Walker overcame a lousy night by drilling a two-run single in the eighth inning …

Sore quad makes Holliday a late scratch  —  ST. LOUIS — Left fielder Matt Holliday was scratched from the starting lineup 25 minutes before the Cardinals' game against San Francisco on Tuesday with discomfort in his left quadriceps.  —  Holliday pinch-hit in the fifth inning Tuesday, striking out on three pitches.

Ludwick, Latos help Padres take rare series win over Braves  —  ATLANTA — Ryan Ludwick had an RBI single in the three-run seventh, Heath Bell struggled to earn a fourth straight save and the San Diego Padres beat the Atlanta Braves 5-4 on Tuesday night for their season-high fourth consecutive victory.

Wilpons should do the right thing and retire Carter's No. 8 with Mets  —  Mets on Twitter  —  The disgrace is that the Mets had 22 years to do the right thing based on performance, based on accomplishment, based on Gary Carter's inviolable place in the collective heart of their fans.

Sanchez leads Marlins past Diamondbacks  —  PHOENIX — Anibal Sanchez pitched eight effective innings and drove in two runs on chopping groundouts, helping the Florida Marlins end Arizona's seven-game winning streak with a 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks Tuesday night.

Granderson hits 17th home run as Yankees beat Athletics  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Curtis Granderson homered and drove in four runs and Derek Jeter had two hits to reach 2,983 for his career and scored three runs to help the New York Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics for the ninth straight time, 10-3 on Tuesday night.

Gardenhire: Mauer won't be moved from catcher  —  DETROIT — Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was adamant on Tuesday that when Joe Mauer returns this season, it will be at catcher.  —  “He signed an eight-year deal to catch in the big leagues for the Minnesota Twins,” Gardenhire said.

Colvin returns to Cubs, feels timing is back  —  CHICAGO — Cubs outfielder Tyler Colvin didn't waste time getting to work on Tuesday as he headed to the batting cage to work with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo.  —  Colvin was recalled by the club after Alfonso Soriano was placed on the disabled list with a strained left quad.

Red Sox activate Jenks before White Sox game  —  BOSTON — Boston Red Sox reliever Bobby Jenks was activated from the disabled list Tuesday and Michael Bowden was optioned back to Pawtucket to make room on the roster for the right-hander.  —  Jenks, who had been placed on the disabled list …

Sizemore drives in 2 runs as Indians beat Jays 6-3  —  (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese)  —  TORONTO—Mitch Talbot won for the first time since April 11, Grady Sizemore drove in a pair of runs and the Cleveland Indians beat the Blue Jays 6-3 on Tuesday night, snapping Toronto's four-game winning streak.

Smoak's three-run homer rallies Mariners over Orioles  —  SEATTLE — Justin Smoak hit a two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning off Baltimore starter Jeremy Guthrie, giving the Seattle Mariners a stunning 3-2 win over the Orioles on Tuesday night.